WASHINGTON — A Senate subcommittee announced Monday it would conduct a hearing in the wake of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal to review how US laws protect children from abuse and neglect.

US Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Children and Families, joined committee ranking member Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) in announcing the hearing, set for Dec. 13.

“No child should ever be subjected to sexual abuse. And no adult should ever turn a blind eye to such abuse,” Mikulski said in a press release. “As a former social worker in Baltimore, I have seen first-hand how child abuse can destroy a family and ruin a child’s life.”

According to the press release, the hearing “will focus on how well existing federal law is protecting children from abuse and suspected abuse” and “examine proposals to improve reporting requirements.”

Last week, Casey called for hearings into how federal laws applied to the Penn State investigation and the allegations of child molestation levied at former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.

“This hearing will be an opportunity to ensure that our federal laws are protecting our children from dangerous sexual predators,” Casey said in the release Monday. “The events of the last weeks are a clarion call for action to ensure that every adult is responsible for reporting the sexual abuse of a child to the proper government authorities.”

Sandusky, 67, is accused in a 40-count indictment of sexually abusing eight boys over a period of 15 years. He has maintained his innocence.

The ensuing scandal has rocked the Penn State community, leading to the firing of legendary head football coach Joe Paterno and raising questions about a possible cover-up within the higher echelons of the university.

The US Department of Education announced earlier this month it would launch an investigation to determine whether Penn State officials violated a federal law requiring universities to disclose criminal offenses that occur on campus.

Federal prosecutors and FBI agents in Pennsylvania are also looking into opening a federal investigation into the case, a senior law enforcement official told NBC News Friday.